POLICE probing a robbery were branded “laughable” yesterday after asking people to identify a man whose face is totally hidden by a mask in security camera photos.

They also refused to call him a suspect as that might breach the Human Rights Act – despite him being caught on CCTV wielding a knife during a raid on a betting shop.

Instead, officers in Dorset said he was a “man they would like to speak with” – and invited him to contact them.

A spokesman explained: “Dorset police do not ever state the person pictured in the CCTV image is the person we believe to have committed the crime.

“This can influence witnesses and maybe prejudice a trial.” But the bizarre police move drew scorn last night.

Gawain Towler, a Ukip spokesman, said: “Actions like this are pointless and make the police laughable.

“It’s part of the retreat from common sense language. Calling a suspect a suspect does not imply guilt. They are being daft.

“It creates a lack of respect for the police if they can’t be straight with us – it’s counter-productive.”

Local people took to internet message boards to poke fun at the police appeal.

Dorset police do not ever state the person pictured in the CCTV image is the person we believe to have committed the crime

A Dorset police spokesman

One wrote: “This has to be a wind-up. Not sure what’s more laughable, asking the man to contact them – do you really think that’s likely? – or the CCTV image showing a man with his face completely obscured from view?” Another, Carol Smith, added: “How stupid is that? Shall we look for a man with a black woolly thing over his head?”

The robbery happened at 6.50pm on February 26, when a knife-man pulled down a black woollen hat over his face and entered a Ladbrokes in West Moors, near Bournemouth. He approached the woman cashier and made off with notes from the till.

Police released three CCTV images but did not issue a description. Detective Constable James Lees, the investigating officer, said: “I urge the man pictured, and anyone who recognises him, to contact me, in confidence, as soon as possible.

“I also would like to hear from anyone who saw this man enter or leave the premises around the time of the incident.”

The spokesman added: “We are looking to identify the man, not just his face. We are not suggesting he is the suspect, just someone we want to talk to.”